Pasta Recipes: Fettucine Con Spinachi, Basilico, Rosmarino E Timo One Of My Favorite Pasta Recipes

Pasta Recipes

 

[caption id="attachment_1412" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Pasta Fettucine With Spinach Basil Rosemary And Thyme Click Enlarge[/caption]

I know that as of late I have been making quite a bit of Italian pasta recipes will require ingredients such as heavy cream, butter and even bacon grease. It is all in the name of flavor and fortunately I hope for most of us this is not a daily diet. There is no doubt that "fat is where the flavor is!" There are of course other alternatives to great pasta recipes or recipes from any country besides using lots of fats and oils for the desired flavors and textures that we want in a fine dish of food. An excellent meal does not always require fat for flavor and hence in this blog post I will be talking about one of my favorite pasta recipes that is not made with lots of fats and heavy cream or butter for that matter.

I sat for quite some time this last week trying to decide what I wanted to cook for you and I did not want to do another one of my heavy pasta recipes. Don't get me wrong I will be doing more of them in the future! I just wanted to give our cholesterol levels a break this week and I wanted to make sure that everyone could eat this dish without having to worry about whether or not they are on a diet. It is for this reason that this week I decided to make one of my best pasta recipes for you and it is a savory pasta recipe that does not use a standard pasta sauce like a red or a white sauce.

This pasta recipe is called Pasta Fettucine Con Spinachi, Basilico, Rosmarino E Timo! or Pasta Fettucine With Spinach, Basil, Rosemary And Thyme. This is a delicious pasta recipe and one of my favorite pasta dishes. This dish is a rustic Italian pasta recipe that can come from any household in Italy! It's wonderfully simple to make and is a heavy hitter in the flavor and aroma department. Just imagine yourself in an Italian household getting ready to make dinner and you get your ingredients together and you get to work on one of your favorite pasta recipes.

There you are chopping the garlic and the aroma of it invades your nostrils and you think to yourself how much you love the smell of garlic. Then you take fresh basil and pull the leaves from the stem of the plant and with each pluck your kitchen is filled with its earthy aroma. This is one of those pasta recipes that will drive your family and friends crazy with the anticipation of eating it! Go ahead and leave a window two open and listen to  your neighbors outside of the window speaking in Italian about "where is that lovely aroma coming from?" You will grin because you know it is you making the pasta recipe! So please watch and enjoy the video on how to make Pasta Fettucine Con Spinachi, Basilico, Rosmarino E Timo! Mangiare Bene! Eat Well!


The Ingredients:
1 Lb Fettucine Pasta.
4 Tbsp olive oil.
4oz fresh basil leaves.
10oz fresh spinach leaves.
6-8 cloves garlic chopped rough or fine your choice.
2 Tbsp dried rosemary.
2 Tbsp dried thyme.
2 Cups Chicken stock. (You may or may not use all of the stock!)
2 Tbsp red pepper flakes.(Depending on how much heat you like you may or may not want to add more or less red pepper.)
Salt and black pepper to taste.
3 oz Gorgonzola as a topping when dish is plated.
Salt and pepper to taste.
The largest saute pan/skillet you can get.

The Method:
(Cook your pasta to aldente' drain and put back in pot with about a ladle full of the starch water and some olive oil to coat the pasta and keep it from sticking together and then put on the back burner to stay warm.)

1. Put olive oil in your saute pan/skillet. Heat on med. high until oil is shimmering.
2. Once oil is shimmering put garlic in oil and cook on med. high til garlic softens and browns a bit. Add pinch of salt and pinch of red pepper flakes to the oil and stir
3. Once garlic is soft and brown add spinach first get it coated in the oil and get it to reduce.
4. Now add the basil and make sure it gets coated with oil and get it to reduce. Don't let leaves burn.
5. Now add 1/2 to 1 cup of chicken stock and raise heat to high to get the stock to boil. Keep mixing the leaves.
6. Reduce heat to med or a bit lower and put lid on skillet/saute for one minute or so. Then take off and spinach and
should now be wilted.
7. Add a pinch of salt and pinch of pepper to taste. We are building layers of flavor.
8. Now add 1 Tbsp of the dried rosemary and dried thyme. Spread it over the greens evenly.
9. Raise heat to medium. Mix everything up in the skillet/saute and make sure the dried herbs get wet.
10. Add a little more of the chicken stock if the the stock in the pan has evaporated from cooking the greens.
11. Now if the greens are wilted to your satisfaction spread them in a circle around the saute leaving the center clear for the pasta.
12. Pour your fettucine into the center of your skillet/saute and turn up the heat to a medium high heat.
13. Add another 1/2 to 1 cup of the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add pinch of salt and pinch of pepper and mix all ingredients together.
14. Now add the last of your rosemary and thyme and mix all of your ingredients together.
15. Add the last of the chicken stock and raise heat to a boil and then reduce to a medium boil and cook for 2-3 minutes this way to allow the pasta to absorb the liquid. You may want to add another 1 or 2 Tbsp of olive oil into the mix as well. No matter what there will be some liquid left in the pan and that is your sauce. The pasta should be shiny and well covered in liquid. After 2-3 minutes turn heat off and cover pan if you have one and let stand for a minute or two.
16. Plate pasta and greens and add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes and then add your Gorgonzola and your are ready to go! Mangiare Bene! Eat Well!

[caption id="attachment_1414" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Pasta Fettucine With Spinach Basil Rosemary And Thyme Click To Enlarge[/caption]

Risotto: Risotto With Bacon, Mushrooms And Walnuts A Great Risotto Recipe

Risotto

 

[caption id="attachment_1385" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Risotto With Bacon Mushrooms And Walnuts Click To Enlarge[/caption]

Risotto as many of you know is an Italian rice dish that is cooked in some kind of broth or stock and made to come to a creamy consistency. The stock used is either a meat, fish, chicken, or vegetable broth or stock. Many risotto recipes also include cheeses like parmesan, gorgonzola, asiago or grana padana. Butter and/or oil is most often used to soften onions and coat the rice before the stock is added. Risotto in Italian kitchens is called the Primo or the first course of your dinner service.

Risotto is a high starch rice the starch is called Amylopectin starch. The variety of rice itself is a short grain hearty rice that has a really nice chew to it. All rice is capable of absorbing liquids but when it comes to that Arborio rice in my opinion is the king. There are many varieties of rice used in Italy to make Risotto and they are as follows: powdered Porcini mushrooms.
1 Lb of Crimini/Baby Portobello mushrooms.
3 Tbsp. Fresh chopped basil or basil chiffonade.
1 Tbsp olive oil.
1 Lb bacon or pancetta cut into 1/4 inch pieces.
6+ cloves garlic fine chopped or minced.
1 cup of finely chopped onion.
2 cups Arborio rice.
1 cup white wine I used Pinot Grigio.
1/4 cup heavy cream.
1/4 cup Parmesan, Grana Padano, Parm Reggiano or Asiago cheese.
1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese.
1 cup chopped walnuts.
salt and pepper to taste.

The Method:

1. Bring your chicken stock to a simmer. It must be hot to make risotto.

2 Combine your powered shitake/procini mushrooms with your Crimini mushrooms in a bowl and put aside.

3. In a large saute pan saute your bacon/pancetta in the olive oil on medium heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon/pancetta browns and well cooked. This will take 10-15 minutes depending on stove and saute pan.

4. After the bacon/pancetta cooks remove it with a slotted spoon and place to the side.

5. In the same pan with the rendered fat saute your oninons and garlic until softened and browned a bit. This will take anywhere from 5-10 minutes depending on stove and saute pan size.

6. Now take your mushroom mixture and add to the saute pan and stir to combine ingredients. 3-5 minutes.

7. Once mushrooms have softened and reduced add your rice and reserved bacon back into the saute pan
and stir to coat all the rice in oil.

8. Once the wine is coated check the quality of the browning of the ingredients in the pan and then add your wine slowly to deglaze the pan of all those tasty brown bits. Remember to scrape the bottom of the pan and stir constantly. Allow the alcohol to evaporate and most of the liquid to be absorbed into the rice. About 2-5 minutes, just watch.

9. Now begin to add chicken stock 1 cup at a time and stir constantly to prevent sticking and burning.

10. Let the rice absorb the chicken stock. About 2-3 mins + before adding more stock.

11. Continue adding stock 1 cup at a time and let get absorbed until 4 cups have been reached.

12. Now start adding stock into pan at rate of 1/2 cup of stock at a time and let get absorbed. This should take about 30 minutes +/-.

The risotto should be nice and creamy by now. It will "tighten" up when it is served. When the risotto is completely finished in the saute pan it is time to add 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/4 cup Gorgonzola, 1/4 cup chicken stock, 1/4 cup heavy cream and stir it all up for a minute or so. Now add your basil and 1 cup crushed walnuts and stir for another 1-2 minutes. Put a cover on the saute pan and turn off heat and let stand for 2 minutes more to allow walnuts to soften. Once walnuts have softened a bit serve the dish quickly. Optional: Add additional Gorgonzola/Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes if desired. Enjoy!


 

Garlic: Garlic Preparation Techniques

Garlic

 

One of my favorite things to include in any dish I can put it in is garlic. I love garlic! It is used in some many cuisines the world over that I can never feel lonely because I know that garlic will be there. As with most herbs, spices, vegetables, meats and so on there are techniques for preparation. This video is the first in a series of how to videos on preparation techniques for garlic use. I hope you enjoy this how to video and the others to follow!

Pasta Recipe: Pasta Con Pancetta, Carciofi, Pistacchi E Gorgonzola: Pasta With Bacon, Artichokes, Pistachios and Gorgonzola

Pasta Recipe

 

[caption id="attachment_1330" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Pasta With Bacon Artichokes Pistachios And Gorgonzola Click To Enlarge"][/caption]

The dishes of Italy change region to region and some of those changes are very subtle and some of those changes are very deliberate. Either way I just love my Italian food and this pasta recipe in particular. I also happen to be a really big fan of Sicilian food and this dish is a Sicilian pasta recipe. Sicily is not Italy and I know that to this day many people confuse the two. Sicilian food can be more fiery than many Italian foods, but in many cases there are man similiarities between the foods of the two cultures. The dish that I have prepared for this blog post is called Pasta Con Pancetta, Carciofi, Gorgonzola E Pistachhi or Pasta With Bacon, Artichokes, Gorgonzola and Pistachios it is a lovely Sicilian pasta recipe. It is a delicious, sweet, creamy, cheesy, hot and salty tasting dish that is sure to please the most ardent of Italian pasta foodies. I promise!

The pistachio is one of my absolute favorite nuts to eat and they have just about the most perfect balance of being meaty and at the same time having an undercurrent of sweetness. This pasta recipe can be made with any choice of pastas from farfalle, penne rigate,conchiglie, armoniche rigatoni, rigatoni and fusili. This pasta recipe can also be made with long pasta like regular spaghetti, linguine, perciatelli,bucatini, angel hair and capelli d' angelo. In the case of using long pasta you will plate the pasta and then spoon the sauce over the top of it rather than with the smaller macaroni's which you will pour the sauce on and mix together before plating.

Pistachio nuts are grown all over the world in different places but, the pistachios that are grown in Sicily are highly valued for the distinguished green color and these pistachios are considered some of the finest in the world and are exported to a hungry world from Sicily. The vast majority of the pistachios are grown in a region called Bronte' in the Mount Etna region of Sicily. Here in the states we eat pistachios as snacks and we make pistachio ice cream which I happen to really love. In Sicily however the valued pistachio is used in local treats and one that you might be familiar with is Sicily's gelato pistachio. The loved pistachio is also used in cakes, cookies and other fine savory dishes and of course in this pasta recipe I am presenting to you. I hope you try this great pasta recipe! I know that you will enjoy it!


Ingredients:

3/4 cup Pistachio nuts.
1/2 cup heavy cream.
2 Tbsp unsalted butter.
2Tbsp olive oil.
1 Onion chopped.
4oz Bacon. I used bacon ends and pieces for the meat content it is better than regular sliced bacon.
4 Cloves garlic 2 cloves minced or pureed 2 cloves thick sliced. I do this for texture and flavor.
1/2 Tsp. red pepper flakes.
1 Cup white wine. I used Pinot Grigio.
1 Cup chicken stock.
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Black pepper.
3oz + Gorgonzola Cheese.
1/4 Cup fresh grated Parmesan or Parmigiano Regiano blend. I used Parmesan, Romano and Asiago blend.
1 Lb pasta. I used Penne Rigate but you can use any of the pastas that I listed in the blog post above.
5 or 6 Artichoke hearts with stems if you can get them that way or purchase and prepare fresh artichokes.

Method:

1. Cook pasta in well salted water. Once cooked then drain and put back in pot. Coat with olive oil and put lid on pot. Put on back burner.

2. Allow 1/2 cup of cream to come to room temp. Then add cream and pistachios to food processor and blend till smooth. Put aside for later.

3. The other 1/4 cup of pistachios keep aside to use as garnish. Either grind them up a bit or leave whole. Choice is yours.

4. Put butter and olive oil in large skillet on med. high and bring to a sizzle.

5. When butter and olive oil sizzle it is time to put in the onions. Cook until translucent and soft.

6. Now add the bacon, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until bacon and garlic browns.

7. Now deglaze the skillet with white wine and reduce the wine to half.

8. When wine is reduced it is time to stir in the chicken stock and pistachio cream mixture then add your salt and black pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 10-15 minutes to get the sauce to an acceptable consistency.

(While the sauce is simmering cut your artichoke hearts into quarters and saute in a skillet with 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil a touch of salt and some red pepper flakes. Get the artichokes to sear and get nice and brown. This should not take long at all. Put aside to use as topping for plate of this pasta dish.)

9. Once sauce has simmered long enough and you are happy with it's consistency it is time to add the gorgonzola and parmesan cheeses to the sauce and stir. If you feel the sauce is now to thick and getting stringy with cheese just add some more white wine and raise the heat to high to bring to boil and then reduce to med. high and stir constantly. It should take about 2 minutes for the alcohol to cook out of the sauce mixture now.

10. Now it is time to take the saute pan of sauce and pour it into the pot of pasta that you have had on the back burner. So do so now. Mix the sauce well into the pasta on a medium heat for about 2 minutes and then it is time to plate the pasta on a large serving dish or charger. Top the pasta with remaining pistachios and arrange the artichokes any way you would like. Add additional red pepper flakes if desired and serve to your friends and family. Enjoy!

I also have a foodie friend named Sandy and she has a blog that is devoted to cooking and good food and she has some really good pasta recipes as well. Her blog is Easy Cooking With Sandy and what drew me to her site was a lovely Pasta and Sausage Salad. Go take a look I am sure you will like what you see!

[caption id="attachment_1332" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Pasta With Bacon Artichokes Pistachios And Gorgonzola Click To Enlarge"][/caption]



 

Italian Pasta Recipes: Salmon Pasta Pasta Al Salmone Affumicato

Italian Pasta Recipes

 

When I was a teenager I worked at a local Italian restaurant in Los Angeles called Restaurant Stromboli. At the time I went to work there the establishment had already been in business for 40yrs and was known for it's great Northern Italian pasta recipes. It was owned by a man named Frank Mele' and he was from Bari, Italy. Bari is a town located on the Northern coast of Italy on the Adriatic ocean. Bari is know for it's excellent seafood and it's traditional Italian pasta recipes. Many of the dishes made in Bari you will only see in Bari. One of those Italian pasta recipes is called Pasta Al Salmone Affumicato or pasta with smoked salmon! This dish truly is one of my favorite Italian pasta recipes .

Working at Restaurant Stromboli was a great time in my life. I worked with a small crew of people that had been with Mr. Mele' for year and years before I got there so I was the new kid on the block and truth be told it did not take Mr. Mele' and his crew long to take me in and treat me like family. My shift was from 4p.m. til 12-1a.m. Once all the customers left we would clean the place up and make it ready for the next day and then Mr. Mele' and his son Dan would go into the kitchen and cook us all dinner. This is truly where I got exposed to some of the best Italian pasta recipes that I have ever had.

Mr. Mele' would be cooking the crew dinner and we had a large round table in the back dining room that we would set up and we would sit and drink Soave Bolla or Valpolicella and talk about the events of the night! Yes! I drank wine with the crew! In Italy it is not unheard of for a teen to share wine with friends and family and that is what we all were! Family! Mr. Mele' didn't speak the best English but, the hostess named Kathleen told me that if he smiles and laughs then he likes you! I made Mr. Mele' smile and laugh alot!

I started cooking when I was thirteen years old. By the time I went to work for Mr. Mele' I would learn some of the best Italian Pasta Recipes around. I had the opportunity to hang out in the kitchen here and there during my shifts at work and on the very, very rare occasion that we would have a slow night I was allowed to stay in the kitchen and learn how to cook the delicious Italian pasta dishes that we served to the public. It is here that I first learned how to properly cook pasta and other foods. I learned how to properly prep vegetables and my basic cuts. I learned how to saute' and how to cook with wine. There were many skills learned with Mr. Mele'. I learned how to cook seafood like scallops and shrimp and calamari and I learned how to cook and cut meats. I learned how to cleaned tenderloins and make one of my other favorite dishes: Braciole! OMG! Braciole! To die for! All the skills that I learned in Mr. Mele's kitchen have stuck with me all of my life! As one of my many teachers in life told me once: "Once you learn good technique, you never forget it!" Pasta Al Salmone Affumicato! One of my favorite Italian pasta recipes in the world! I never seen this dish anywhere else in any Italian restaurant that I have ever been in and I have been in a few! I come from New York City where some of the best Italian pasta recipes in the world come from and I can honestly say that I have never seen this pasta dish in NYC either! I would venture to say that many of you reading this blog post have never seen this dish in your hometowns either! If you have I would like to hear about it! This dish is one of the great Italian pasta recipes that hails from Bari, Italy!


I often think about those days when I was a kid and working at Stomboli's for Mr. Mele' I remember how time felt to me back then and what is was to be a teen back then and like all of us I wish at times that I could go back in time and live it all over again and learn how to make those fantastic Italian pasta recipes again and hang out with my old crew. Alas! This is not going to happen but, they are happy memories that I have of working for Mr. Mele' and his son Dan and the great crew of people that I worked with and the excellent Italian pasta recipes that I leaned back then as well as the skills that I learned that I keep with me to this very day! Enjoy the video!

The Ingredients:

1. 1 Lb of Penne Regate Pasta.
2. 2 Tbsp of unsalted butter or about half a stick.
3. 2-4 Tbsp of finely chopped or finely slivered brown onion. You can also use 3 Tbsp of fine diced shallot if you wish.
4. 1-2 Tbsp finely chopped or pureed garlic.
5. 6oz + smoked salmon oil cured. I buy the trimmings instead of the belly and I save a ton of money to make this dish!
6. 3 Tbsp vodka, whiskey or brandy. I use the whiskey as I feel it imparts character that vodka does not!
7. 1/2 Tsp. salt.
8. Pinch of black pepper I like the triple peppercorn variety.
9. 3/4 cup Clam juice.
10. 4 Tbsp heavy cream.
11. 3 Tbsp tomato sauce.
12. Grated cheese any variety: Parmigiano Reggiano, Grand Padana, Pecorino Romano, Asiago blend. any kind will do.

Method:

Fill a large pot with well salted water and set it to boil to cook your Penne Regate. Now take your skillet and use medium high heat  to melt the butter. Don't let butter brown or burn. Get the butter to a sizzle this should take about a minute or two depending on whether your stove is electric or gas. After the butter sizzles add your onions and cook them for about two minutes or until they are translucent and soft. You can carmelize them a bit if your want but don't go overboard with it. Now when the onions are soft it is time to add your garlic and salmon and cook them until the garlic is softened and the salmon turns pink. Make sure to stir it up frequently to prevent the ingredients in the skillet from sticking to it. Now slowly pour in your choice of alcohol, slowly because you don't want the alcohol to flame up you just want the alcohol to cook out leaving the taste of your choice of alcohol behind. It should take about two minutes to get the alcohol to evaporate on a medium heat. Now add your salt and pepper and keep stirring. Now add the cream and lower the heat to a medium low and stir to keep it from curdling. After a minute or two add your clam juice and tomato sauce and raise the heat back to a medium high and bring this mix to a light boil and reduce the sauce a bit. Now lower heat and simmer for about five minutes.  Finally you should have your pasta cooked and drained and placed back into the pot you cooked it in and added some olive oil to in order to keep it from sticking. Pour your sauce over this pasta and while on a medium high heat cook the sauce into the pasta and let the liquid get absorbed into the pasta  and plate it. Optional: Add some red pepper flakes and your choice of grated cheese. Eat and enjoy!